This self-propelled unit was developed as a support vehicle for artillery. It was based on the captured French tank FCM 36, and the main armament used was the German 105-mm howitzer leFH 16. The self-propelled gun was designed by the German engineer and artilleryman Alfred Becker in collaboration with Alkett. During the conversion, the engine-transmission group and a large part of the hull of the FCM 36 tank remained unchanged. The howitzer was mounted in an armored, open-topped turret. The MG 34 machine gun was used as an additional weapon. The concept for deploying these self-propelled guns envisioned their use alongside self-propelled 75-mm anti-tank systems in a unit, and the howitzers could fire both directly and from enclosed positions. Both types of self-propelled guns belonged to the Mobile Brigade West, which eventually transferred its units to the German 21.